Bee Gees' Robin Gibb Dies

Bee Gees' Robin Gibb DiesRobin Gibb, one-third of the group that was said to be music's most successful brother act, has died following a long battle with cancer. He was 62. Gibb joined his brothers Barry and Maurice Gibb in forming the Bee Gees in their childhood. The group released their first album in 1967 and went on to become one of pop's biggest acts through a series of musical incarnations. Their peak came in the late '70s when they scored six consecutive No. 1 hits, three of which came from the GRAMMY Album Of The Year-winning Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Robin Gibb won four additional GRAMMYs with the group, including Producer Of The Year, and the Bee Gees received a GRAMMY Legend Award in 2003. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Gibb also had a solo hit with the Beatles cover "Oh! Darling" in 1978. "Robin has had an indelible impact on music, and our deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends and fans around the world who will continue to sing and dance to his music that will be ‘Stayin’ Alive’ for many generations to come," said Neil Portnow, Recording Academy President/CEO. (5/20)

Woodstock stage, 1969

Photo: John Dominis/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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Pieces Of Original Woodstock Stage Now For Salepieces-woodstocks-original-wooden-stage-are-now-collectibles

Pieces Of Woodstock's Original Wooden Stage Are Now Collectibles

Steve Gold followed his personal memories to track down the actual boards trodden by Joan Baez, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, and many more

Philip Merrill

GRAMMYs

Mar 21, 2019 - 12:59 pm

After history was made by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Who, and the rest of the original 1969 Woodstock Festival performers in August 1969, 15-year-old festivalgoer Steve Gold helped his girlfriend's dad move much of the wood on stage to a nearby bungalow colony. Now an experienced music entrepreneur, Gold rediscovered the abandoned boards that had supported the feet of the music legends as they made rock history. The pieces are now being offered as varied, collectible mementos under the banner "Peace of Woodstock Stage."

Gold began the search two years ago. The plywood was located and brought to Wood Science Consulting for authentication, and the manufacturer's logo, Weyerhaeuser, as well as distinctive paint patterns confirmed they were genuine.

"Whether you are a rock and roller like me," said Gold, "who was there or who lived through it, a Millennial who continues to be influenced by the music and artists who headlined the show, or you are somewhere in between, you can now own a piece of what is the most iconic work of construction in the annals of music."

Details of the varied collectible formats are at the Peace of Woodstock Stage website, including peace-sign pendants, a framed plaque and a desktop cube, with solid plywood pieces and a letter of authenticity from Wood Science Consulting. On the most affordable end, two-ounce bottles of sawdust will be put on sale for $19.95 — dubbed "Stardust" after the line in Joni Mitchell's song "Woodstock" where she sang, "We are stardust." A portion of the proceeds will benefit charities helping Vietnam veterans, the homeless and gun-reform advocacy.

Modest Mouse To Release New Music For Record Store Day 2019

The beloved indie-rock band will be dropping their first new music since 2015's 'Strangers to Ourselves'

Ana Yglesias

GRAMMYs

Mar 21, 2019 - 12:08 pm

Record Store Day 2019 has shared its latest special-edition release: Indie-rock heroes Modest Mouse are set to release a new song, "Poison the Well" via limited-edition vinyl.

The song is the GRAMMY-nominated group's first new music in four years, since their 2015 album, Strangers to Ourselves, and will be available "on a triangular mint green vinyl 7" single," whose B-side will also be a new track. The vinyl version is slated for only 1,500 copies and comes out on April 13.

The cover art is a trippy, pastel-hued mushroom and foliage collage, corresponding with the mysterious puzzle some of the band's fans were mailed earlier this week. The digital release of "Poison the Well" is set for March 29.

Last week, on March 14, Modest Mouse announced a joint tour with The Black Keys. Their "Let's Rock Tour" will have the two groups playing 31 shows at arenas and other large venues across North America this Fall.

The slimiest fest is back for a second year and will feature plenty of GRAMMY talent

Jennifer Velez

GRAMMYs

Mar 21, 2019 - 11:51 am

T-Pain, Bebe Rexha and Pitbull have been announced as performers at 2019 Nickelodeon SlimeFest, which is returning to Chicago for its second year.

JoJo Siwa, a singer, actress and YouTube personality will also perform. The fest will happen June 8–9 at the Huntington Bank Pavilion and will also feature appearances from Nick stars Annie LeBlanc, Scarlet Spencer, Dallas Dupree Young and more.

SlimeFest is a family festival full of music and slime activities, including a slime maze, slime lab and a giant slime pit in front of the stage. The U.S. fest is the sixth adaption of the event, which also happens in Australia, Germany, the U.K. and more, with nearly 140,000 people in attendance across the world, according to a press release.

Pre-sale tickets go on sale March 27 at 10 a.m. CT, and general public tickets go on sale March 29 at 10 a.m. CT. For more information, visit the SlimeFest website.

The state becomes the third government to honor the bestselling rapper with special recognition for his social-justice activism

Philip Merrill

GRAMMYs

Mar 20, 2019 - 4:46 pm

On March 19, right before rapper Meek Mill performed at Hartford's Xfinity Theater, the State of Connecticut presented the social-justice advocate and battle rapper with the key to the state, declaring the day of his Motivation Tour stop there as "Meek Mill Day." The declaration follows just after his hometown Philadelphia declared March 15–17 "Meek Mill Weekend" and reflects growing awareness of the criminal justice reform issues the rapper champions.

TMZ has an exclusive pic of the backstage presentation by state Rep. Brandon McGee and notes Houston was first, declaring Feb. 24 as Meek Mill Day, Connecticut is the first to honor Meek Mill on the state level. The rapper's Motivation Tour is approaching its March 24 final date in Atlanta, but appreciation for his efforts seems bound to continue.

On Jan. 23, Meek Mill and Jay-Z joined with Van Jones and sports team owners to announce their creation of the Reform Alliance at the City University of New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Meek Mill explained that, "The system is basically targeted at people that look like me." His own troubled experience with incarceration and parole gives him first-hand credibility and his activism on behalf of legal fairness is widely admired. The way Jay-Z put it in Januray was, "These things are disproportionate, and the whole world knows it."

The release of Meek Mill's album Championships on Nov. 30 took him to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for the second time, on the Dec. 15 chart. His three previous albums landed at the No. 2 or No. 3 slot. To have two city governments and one state government recognize his combination of music, message and activism adds to this exceptional track record and builds anticipation for what's ahead.

Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.